British pork cassoulet

British pork cassoulet

No-nonsense hearty meal that needs little or no side dishes - a great family meal - by Gary Rhodes

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 - 35 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 30 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Quickly pan-fry the strips of pork belly in the oil, followed by the sausages and back bacon chops, until well browned.
  2. Mix together the beans, onion, garlic, carrots and tomatoes in a bowl. Starting with a spoonful of the veg, inter-layer the vegetable mix and meats in a deep braising pan (about 3 litres capacity, 7.5cm deep, preferably one that will go on top of the stove - see Gary's tip, below). Place the bouquet garni in the centre as everything is being stacked.
  3. Pour just enough chicken stock on top to almost cover, then bring to a simmer on top of the stove (see Gary's tip). Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and braise in the oven for about 1hr 20- 1hr 30 mins, until the meats are all tender and the top is golden brown. If the stock reduces while braising, simply pour a little more on top to moisten. Remove from the oven and allow to settle for 5 mins before serving. (Remember to take out the bouquet garni.)
Try

Gary's tips

Back bacon chops are available from large supermarkets. If you can't find them, use gammon steaks instead. Trim off the rinds first and halve the steaks if they're large. If you prefer, or if your pan isn't suitable, skip the simmering in Step 3 and just leave the cassoulet in the oven for an extra 15 mins.

911 kcalories, protein 58g, carbohydrate 38g, fat 60 g, saturated fat 22g, fibre 8g, sugar 16g, salt 7.5 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2006.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Lynsey

    02 December 2007

    Lynsey rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I left out the pork belly and served with crusty bread - it was really tasty

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  • Binder photo sarah c

    05 January 2008

    sarah c rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made this exactly as written and it worked wonderfully. Next time, I would probably leave out the pork belly to reduce the fat though.

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  • Binder photo cowpat

    06 January 2008

    cowpat commented on this recipe

    I also left out the pork belly and it was fantastic. Even my really fussy children ate it, a complete success

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  • Binder photo cowpat

    06 January 2008

    cowpat rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Kathryn

    13 February 2008

    Kathryn rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe is really tasty, we served it with mash and savoy cabbage. We cooked it the day before and then let it reheat gently. The pork belly fell off the bones. Would highly recommend it.

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  • Binder photo griff25uk

    13 April 2008

    griff25uk rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Mine did have the pork belly in as well as all the rest and tasted exactly what was required to warm you through on a cold night. Very very good.

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  • Binder photo Jules

    02 May 2008

    Jules commented on this recipe

    Wonderful,had all the family pleading for me to cook this again soon. Just simple crusty bread to go with it was all that it needed,hard to believe this was originally peasant food!

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  • Binder photo PoshPaws

    27 June 2008

    PoshPaws commented on this recipe

    Pork belly, pork sausages AND bacon chops in the same dish? Golly, I don't think I earn enough to be able to afford to make this one! lol

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  • Binder photo Gar

    02 February 2009

    Gar commented on this recipe

    Did mine with Pork belly strips, pork sausages and a a gammon cut up. Lovely jubbly!!

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  • Binder photo mother*ship

    14 September 2009

    mother*ship rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I didn't bother with the gammon chops and thought that it was still very tasty and more than enough meat. I also added a courgette and green pepper that needed using up. The flavour definitely improves overnight.

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  • Binder photo Lexi99

    18 December 2010

    Lexi99 commented on this recipe

    Instead of the bouquet garni, which ive now learned is a little bundle of herbs, can dried herbs be used?

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  • Binder photo Tony

    20 March 2011

    Tony rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Just plain fabulous. You can leave out the pork belly to reduce the fat but it's just not the same. I go by the old addage of a little bit of what you fancy does you good, and you are definitely not going to have this for tea five days a week. As said before when reheated it gets even better.

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  • Binder photo GGF

    27 March 2011

    GGF rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made it according to the recipe but next time would leave out the gammon steaks, there's far too much meat in this dish & it would work perfectly well without. Served with garlic bread & it was well received by my family. Also freezes & re-heats well!

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  • Binder photo Donna D

    15 January 2013

    Donna D rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made with 900g large Toulouse sausage & a small pack of streaky bacon. Only used 450ml stock, & could have done with 2 jars of haricots. Really tasty supper - perfect for the current weather!

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  • Binder photo sandra

    26 April 2013

    sandra rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have made this several times now and it is always a hit! You don't have to use so much bacon and it still tastes good!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 - 35 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 30 mins

Freezable

Perfect for chilly days

Ingredients

  • 400-450g streaky steaks (strips of pork belly ), rind trimmed
  • 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 400-450g pack of pork sausages (try Cumberland, garlic or sage-flavoured Lincolnshire varieties)
  • 4 back bacon chops, about 400g/14oz
  • 400g can cannellini, haricot, butter or mixed beans , drained
  • 1 large onion , chopped
  • 4 medium carrots , thickly sliced
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 bouquet garni 'tea bag'
  • about 600ml chicken stock (from a stock cube is fine)
  • 25g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 2 garlic cloves
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911 kcalories, protein 58g, carbohydrate 38g, fat 60 g, saturated fat 22g, fibre 8g, sugar 16g, salt 7.5 g

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